My reason for pointing out that rape happens everywhere in the world is not to belittle what happened outside that homecoming dance or to lessen the lifetime of guilt I hope the bystanders carry, but to say that it is not just our society, our kids, or even our problem (it is those things, but it is also more than that). Rape is a global issue that has even grandmothers are trying to protect themselves.

This is what is meant by living in a culture of rape. Each time a rape happens and we try to find blame in the victim, we continue the cycle. When we dismiss rape as not being "our problem," we continue the cycle. Each time we talk about rape as a result of sexual desire, we continue the cycle. Rape is about power, not just about sex.

Until we can get that first step down pact - rape is not only about sex, but power - then our culture of rape will continue to engulf us into a darkness too scary to comprehend.